Visitors with no common sense!!
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What has happened to common sense in the hospital? I had a patient who had a hysterectomy (TAH and BSO) Tuesday morning. This young lady was only back her room for about 20 minutes when she had... Read More

Jun 11, '02

kaknurse--tough wife!!! Hate to second guess, but possibly a translator would help? When we're desparate, we use AT&T, they even have translators who specialize in Medical translations. I think the problem is also cultural--not understanding that you can't reach him on vacation, etc. I'll bet she gives him a ration of sh** when he gets back!!

Maybe that demetia is contagious?

Jun 11, '02

had to change this one too

Last edit by RNforLongTime on Jun 28, '02

Jun 11, '02

I work in the ICU and let me tell you... some people should not be allowed to procreate. Seems the dumb gene just keeps getting passed on.
I have seen people come in drunk, walk into the room of their loved one who they haven't seen in years and throw themselves across the patient. Mind you, the patient is in isolation for VRE and MRSA, on a vent, gtts, has a Swan,etc.
Have had security come to remove a visitor who took a swing at the nursing supervisor (again, another drunk).
We have had to padlock our refrigerator in the nourishment room because families seem to think they're at home and can have whatever they want. Pisses me off when I go to get something for a patient and the fridge is empty.
BTW, great topic!

Jun 12, '02

At our hospital. we say some of these people come from the shallow end of the gene pool. I think some of them come from the puddles left behind when someone climbs out of the gene pool.

Jun 12, '02

I work in a PICU that has an "open" visiting policy. Our manager thinks it is cruel to "barricade" parents from their children. While this may have some, though not much, merit it also means anybody can come in at any time. We are a small unit and only staff 2 nurses at a time. Well, if you have ever worked with kids you know that it takes 2 nurses to do almost anything with them.
While this is going on visiters come and go as they please without anyone policing them.
I have one disturbing story to share. One horrible night I admitted 2 kids from the same MVA. Patient one was closed head injury on a vent and patient number 2 was a depressed skull fracture confused and combatative. I got these 2 patients up from er 15 minutes apart and spent time explaining to both families that visiting would be limited this first night, all parties agreed. The kicker was that both families hated each other and blamed each other for the accident. While attempting to start an IV on my vent kid I heard a commotion in my other patients room. Seems some teenagers I had just kicked out had decided to return to the room when they saw both nurses were occupied. I went into the room and these two "visiters" were shaking this patient, with a depressed frontal skull fracture, and yelling at her to wake up while slapping her face.
I really thought I would get fired when my boss heard what I had told the young people but either they didn't complain or she felt like i was justified. The father of the child who was being shaken had to be removed by security because he was really going to hurt these 2 kids when he found out what had happened.
After all this happened we still cannot convince our manager to allow us to get a lock on the PICU doors so we can control traffic better. Wish I could blame this on the "suits" of the hospital but she is a nurse also and one of the suits tried to find a joint commision rule that stated we must have a lock, unsuccessfully.:angryfire

Jun 12, '02

Have your suits ever heard of a child being abducted from a hospital? It could happen, maybe by a noncustodial parent. We had to have the 3 floors housing pediatrics, L&D, NICU, and Family Maternity Care totally secured--alarm doors, etc.

That might be the argument to use--I do hope you did an incident report re: the above cited episode--w/ the recommendation for a locked unit AND improved staffing to deal w/visitors to prevent future problems. That's dangerous! Good Luck!!

Jun 12, '02

We have tried all of this. It has become a power thing for our director to flex her muscles. Our medical director even demanded that we get a lock and she arranged for his contract to be "reviewed" and later, not renewed so she could do away with the power struggle. We have lost 8 fully qualified nurses off of this very small unit in the last 9 months due to her power trips. I am the only night shift full time staff person left and as of July 30th I am heading to greener pastures too. After I leave I hope she has to come work some night shifts.

Jun 12, '02

I guess I must be a meanie...cause I don't put up with none of the stuff I'm reading here! I have no problem asking people to leave! Too many visitors...howling kids...loud voices....not good for the pt!. Yeah I get insulted looks...but they leave...and that's all I care about! The only person I never ask to leave is SOs...but even they can be pains in the rear. But they're important to the pt....so they stay!

I had one son, who out of the whole family in the room....thought he was going to stay while I assessed his mother on my first rounds! He kept looking at me...as he slowly eased out of the room...because He knew I meant business...and he wasn't about to stay. Why he even thought he should stay while I uncovered his mother is beyond me! Tried to come back in the room before I was finished and I politely turned him right around! Mom just smiled. Most pts will tell you thank you! "I had to go to the bathroom...and I didn't want to get up while "they" were here". Or I wanted to ask for some pain medicine...but was waiting for them to leave! "Or I didn't want to hurt their feelings by asking them to leave"

Well...Brownie will be the bad guy for them...anytime!

Jun 12, '02

Originally posted by Brownms46 Well...Brownie will be the bad guy for them...anytime!

You go girl! Us bad guys gotta stick together for the patients!

Heather

Jun 12, '02

I have asked/told visitors to go and they simply refuse. When administration won't support you (even when they're creating a fire hazard) there's not much you can do. We have major accountability and zero authority.

Jun 12, '02

Originally posted by mattsmom81 We have major accountability and zero authority.

Wow! You just said alot about nursing as a whole, mattsmom!

Heather

Jun 12, '02

Ya knooooooooowwwwwww.............I just gotta chime in on this one. Honey, visitors irritate the holy livin' snot outta me. I of course, work OB, where people think they are entitled to see their neighbor's-cousin's-girlfriend's bloody vagina at 3am and get all indignant if we kick 'em out.

Heather, Brownie, and the rest of you 'meanie' nurses, ladies, I'm right there with ya!!! LOL!!! I am evil, evil, evil!! I will throw your a$$ out of my unit in a heartbeat. I don't care who you are. I have called security more than once to escort an unruly/uncooperative 'visitor' (I have another name for them, but can't type it here...) out of the hospital. My unit is locked, and it has a strict visitation policy. GOD BLESS 'EM. My managers, secretary, and fellow nurses back it up with action, too. And security is WONDERFUL when it comes to coming to our rescue.

I have worked in several places that weren't locked and had wussy or nonexistent vistiation policies, and let me tell ya....when I interviewed for the place I work now, you bet your butt I asked them about their visitation policy. Had the unit not been locked and the visitation policy been wussy or not enforced, I would have turned down the job offer. I'm totally serious.

Mattsmom, you hit the nail on the head. I refuse to work in a place that expects me to protect my patient and co-workers, but refuses to give me the tools or power to do so!!

Jun 12, '02

Originally posted by Huganurse To finally RN: Good for you!!!! I wish you'd been my nurse when I had my son. After I had him they handed him to hubby and told him to go show him to the family. I had not even had a chance to put one hand on my boy before he was out the door. I don't know if I'll ever get over the fact that my MIL and SIL's held him before I did. Two hours later, I was furious, they still wouldn't bring him to me. I finally got out of my bed against the nurses advice and started looking for my baby. I found him in the nursery. I picked him up and carried him back to my room so I could finally bond with him. I'll never know why the visitors had priority over my baby that day. And all this was after I'd ended up in the hospital to have him b/c he was 2w late, instead of the birthing center, where I had planned on holding him and bonding with him before they even cut the cord. I applaud all those L/D nurses who put Mom first, and make sure that Mom is calling the shots when it comes to visitors.

Oh, HE** NO!! I'm sorry, but I have a strict rule...MOMMY HOLDS BABY BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE. I have really made some mil's and grandmas mad, but LIKE I CARE!! The mothers of those babies thanked me profusely afterward. I tell those people who get all pissy when I tell 'em they can't hold the baby until momma does
"Look...she worked and bled and sweated for x number of hours for this child. She aches for this child. She gets to hold him/her first. PERIOD." They back down immediately. HEE HEE!!

Huganurse, next time you have a baby, you call me and Heather...we'll be the 'mean' nurses you need!!! LOL!! We got your back, babe!!